


Birth Day

by Sarasti



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: (I never really know how to categorize these things), Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:28:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27365038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarasti/pseuds/Sarasti
Summary: Today was Armin's birthday, and Eren would make it something very special.
Relationships: Armin Arlert & Eren Yeager, Armin Arlert/Eren Yeager
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	Birth Day

**Author's Note:**

> Something quick I dashed out for Armin's b-day. Merry birthmas, Armin! You've always been my favorite.

Eren had met Armin in an alleyway in Shiganshina, and from that point on they would always be within the same enclosed space.

The blond boy did not share Eren’s angry violent feelings of revenge and indignation, and for that, Eren found him indispensable. He had shown him his book of knowledge, and the look in his eyes told Eren even more about how different they were and how important Armin’s nature was to maintain. Armin was precious specifically because he had what Eren did not - there was something inside of him that Eren couldn’t copy for himself. He was important because he was something other than Eren. Today was his birthday, and it would be a very special one.

He would not be the person he was today if not for Armin. If it was possible to meet a version of himself that had never known him, he would most likely decline to do so. The meeting would not be pleasant.

He could not allow himself to lie idly as Armin slid down the disgusting throat of that animal who parodied the look of a real human being. He would rather bathe in the sea that was in a titan’s stomach than allow the other’s life to be cut short.

He sometimes wondered why Armin bothered to hang around a guy like him. Couldn’t he see that he lacked his dreams, his genuine curiosity and empathy? No matter, he still treasured every second with him. He would make them see the ocean for both of their sake – Armin wanted to see it to feel its wonder and Eren wanted to see Armin happy watching it.

Ever since he was born, Eren was haunted by a sense of his own powerlessness, of being a tiny insignificant piece knocked about this way and that by massive forces unknown to him. Armin seemed a lot more okay with being small and not very important, but Eren never thought he had enough. If Armin hadn’t been there to stabilize him, Eren might have lost himself completely at a very early age. Eren wanted to rid himself of the feeling of being too weak to change anything once and for all, which is why he did the things he did.

* * *

When they got off early from training on Armin’s 14th they went wandering through the fields and woods near the camp, the sickly afternoon light filtering through the clouds making Armin’s skin seem even paler than the very light shade it already was. They crossed a bridge over a stream and it was on that piece of rickety wood that Eren first did anything physical to show his admiration for Armin beyond the regular things kids do. He hugged Armin close and pressed his face into his neck, holding him a little too tight for a little too long for it to come off as brotherly and conceal the desire in him. They had been so young then, and as the years went by they both became a lot more than they had been above that flow of water.

Eren's tongue twitched at the memory of that. It was a happy memory, but there was no doubt that things were even better now.

The last time they really celebrated his birthday together was in the 2-month gap before the expedition to retake Wall Maria began. They had laid in bed and Eren had run his fingers through Armin’s hair as they talked about what they would do after reaching the final wall. This presence between them was clearly something other than a regular friendship at that point, but they were either too timid or too ignorant or too fearful to dare to change the comfortable status quo they had. They thought they would have all the time in the world to work on things like that when their shared mission was done, which was their biggest mistake. Eren did not sleep in Armin’s bed that night, feeling like it would be crossing that invisible line.

On Armin’s 19th, Eren had been away. That was when he disfigured himself to infiltrate the Marleyan hospital, thinking of Armin and the others as he cut off his leg and put out his eye. When Armin turned 20, he would make sure not to miss it.

His 20th birthday had come, and Eren could finally make it all up to him. He would no longer have to bear the weight of his own powerlessness – if there was any being on the planet more powerful than him, he had yet to meet it. He had made certain that Armin lived and taken away his titan power - it pained him since it went against his ideals, but for Armin he would make an exception. He also had to make sure Armin wasn't able to hurt himself in any way. Eren had never really shared Armin’s thirst for knowledge and understanding, but he knew that what he had was something precious that was worth the effort to save. Eren would be dead in 3 years, but that wouldn’t matter much in the end. Armin had always shone more brightly than him and he was glad that he had secured his future, even if it would be only slightly longer than his own. He opened the window towards the chalk-stone cliffs and azure sea – still warm, despite it being November – and went to fetch Armin from where he was being kept. Today was his birthday, and it would be a very special day for both of them.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is very welcome.


End file.
